Glascock may seek Columbia city manager post

Rudi Keller @CDTCivilWar

Thursday

Feb 7, 2019 at 4:22 PMFeb 9, 2019 at 8:21 AM

Interim City Manager John Glascock is reconsidering whether he wants more than a temporary posting to Columbia’s top job.

When he was appointed as the city’s chief executive in November, Glascock said he did not intend to apply for the job permanently. He expects to retire within three years, he said then, and becoming manager could interfere with that timeline.

On Thursday, Glascock said he’s got a better feel for the job and what it takes. And if he receives encouragement from Columbia City Council members, he said, he will apply.

“Do I feel comfortable? Sure,” Glascock said. “Do I like what I am doing? Sure. I think I am making a difference. So, I want to see if council thinks the same thing.”

The search for the permanent replacement to Mike Matthes began in earnest this week with consultants from CPS HR in town for public and private meetings to develop recruiting materials. The next step is to open an online survey for the public and to deliver the recruiting brochure and city profile to the council for approval before intense recruiting begins, the consultants told the council during a special meeting Thursday afternoon.

Matthes resigned Nov. 21 amid controversies over community policing and disagreements with the council over several other issues.

Consultants Pamela Derby and Andrew Nelson of CPS HR used a word cloud to illustrate the things they learned during private conversations and the public meetings. Words like visible, straightforward, equity, and communication loomed large on the screen as he displayed the findings. Transparent and transparency were as large, or nearly as large, as any other words.

Nelson noted that the two words mean the same thing.

“Probably if you combined those it would be the biggest word up there,” he said.

The consultants expect to deliver 12 to 18 names to the council by the end of March, when the list would be pared down to semifinalists for interviews in mid-April.

After hearing from Derby and Nelson on general topics, the council held a closed session to talk about areas where the next manager should improve compared to Matthes. The session was closed because it covered topics specific to Matthes’ tenure, Mayor Brian Treece said.

“It is hard to look at the characteristics in next city manager without looking at areas of improvement we would like to see,” he said.

The reaction to Glascock’s statements about applying should be encouraging for his candidacy.

Glascock has made several changes since taking over that have pleased the council and city employees, Treece said.

“From everything I can tell, the department heads and employees have responded enthusiastically,” he said.

A three-year commitment would be acceptable, Treece said. He is seeking re-election April 2 for a second three-year term.

“If I am here for another three years, I see that as important legacy planning,” Treece said. “There are a number of key positions open or coming open, and I don’t know if department heads have thought about grooming deputies to take over. With two to three years to groom the future leadership, that could be a key advantage for a future city manager.”

The process of a full national search will be beneficial to the city as well, Treece said.

“I also think there is value to looking outside the city and identifying someone that may look at things independently or with an eye toward innovation, who may have certain skills under their belt that they can apply to the most pressing challenges we are facing now,” he said.

Second Ward Councilman Mike Trapp also said he would be pleased to see Glascock apply.

“I think anyone who thinks they are qualified should apply, and he has an eminently powerful resume that says that he is qualified,” Trapp said. “I think he would certainly be a strong candidate at least.”

The public forums on the city manager drew about 40 city residents in addition to city staff and the media. Mary Ratliff, president of the Columbia NAACP, said at Thursday’s meeting that she wants a visionary in the job.

“I want him to be one that is inclusive, one that is able to look at the entire community and be inclusive in what is happening in the city. I want to see some diversity, definitely see one that is committed to diversity in the work place and one that is definitely committed to community policing,” Ratliff said.

Glascock’s possible candidacy would be welcome, Ratliff said.

“My encounters with Mr. Glascock have been all positive,” she said. “I think I am a person of inclusiveness. I believe that anybody who has the experience, who is qualified, should be able to apply for that job. I have no problem with Mr. Glascock whatsoever applying for the job.”

Matthes, who was hired in 2011, was the first city manager from outside the ranks of city employees since the early 1980s. For most of that time, the manager was Ray Beck, who held the job for 21 years.

“I am still on the time frame of three years,” Glascock said.

Whether he becomes a candidate or not, Glascock said he likes his job.

“It’s a complex job,” he said. “It is very rewarding. Every day you are making decisions and that is what we all strive for, is to be useful. It is a fun job.”

rkeller@columbiatribune.com

573-815-1709

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